Konica's 1968 compact rangefinder — Hexanon 38mm f/2.8, CdS auto exposure, 380g.
The C35 of 1968 was the first of Konica's C35 series and one of the cameras that set off the compact 35mm rangefinder boom of the early 1970s. Smaller and lighter than the fixed-lens rangefinders that preceded it, it spawned successors including the C35 Automatic, C35 V, C35 FD and the autofocus C35 AF.
It paired a coupled rangefinder with a Hexanon 38mm f/2.8 lens of four elements in three groups, a slightly wider focal length than was typical at the time. A Copal programmed shutter ran from 1/30 to 1/650 plus B, with exposure set automatically by a CdS cell mounted in the lens barrel so it reads through fitted filters. The body measured 114x74x58mm and weighed about 380g.
It suits street and travel shooters who want a genuinely small, quiet 35mm camera with proper rangefinder focusing and a well-regarded lens. Exposure is program-only, so there is no manual override — a limit for anyone wanting control, but part of its point-and-shoot appeal.
Used examples are plentiful but well over fifty years old: check the rangefinder patch is bright and aligned, the meter needle responds, and the light seals have not crumbled. The meter was designed around a mercury cell no longer manufactured, so expect a zinc-air or adapter workaround and confirm exposure accuracy with a test roll.